The Teaching Artist"You teach best what you most need to learn." Richard Bach

Back in early May, I set up a tent on a very windy day at Peters Valley's Annual Open House and Studio Tour. Despite the challenging weather, I began a drawing of a still life set-up featuring a tea kettle, mugs, and a tea bag in honor with my upcoming workshop, Painting the Texture of Tea. I invited anyone who visited my tent to add their mark on the painting. I wanted people to simply learn what it feels like to observe a color on a still life, mix it color and apply it to a canvas, simplifying the painting process to its most basic steps.

When asked to paint, most adults shied away expressing either inexperience or inability, to which I encouraged them to leap in and get a feel for the texture of the paint. I wanted people to simply learn what it feels like to mix one color and apply it to a canvas. Most people finally agreed (most kids readily participated) and ended up feeling terrific after doing so. That very basic act of putting paint on with a brush is very satisfying. Several people had never even picked up a paint brush, let alone painted with oils. It was very moving to allow people the opportunity to do that.

Now that my web site is mostly complete, I have time to get back in the studio and yesterday I made my first marks on the painting. My plan is to complete it, using the preliminary visitors' marks as the starting point. I will share my progress on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with #PVTeaPainting. Once completed I will donate it to Peters Valley's Annual Auction, set for Thursday, August 14th at the Walpack Inn. Click here for more information and tickets to the auction. And, if you're interested in taking a weekend workshop, learn more about Painting the Texture of Tea, which I will instruct August 15 - 17th at Peters Valley.

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Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Sometimes called the Kitchen God's Artist, I'm balancing mothering two energetic sons, a big mutt Ringo, making and teaching art. ​TraillWorks is the apron under which I create and teach. My own art develops mostly in my West Orange home studio, but is sometimes spurred through my teaching, which takes place at Oh! Canary Studio, located in Maplewood, NJ.